Kunal Prasad B.Optom

NSHM Knowledge Campus – Durgapur, India

 

“Mythology is a subjective truth. Every culture imagines life a certain way” Devdutt Pattanaik (1)

Myths are generally traditional stories based on hypothetical theories, historical beliefs, philosophical and religious beliefs, and the thoughts of ancient people, which define something that’s not true in all ways.

Many of us may have heard some myths about our eyes in daily life, but maybe not all of the claims are true. Some of them are as follows:

1.‘Eating carrots can strengthen your eye health’ – Carrots are a source of high nutrients and Vitamin A, which can maintain good eyesight. However, this does not mean that by eating carrots, your vision will improve or that someone can get rid of spectacles or contact lenses. Only a small amount of vitamin A is needed for vision. Not only carrots, but also vegetables, fish, and green leaves that contain a high source of nutrients can be helpful for better eyesight.

2. ‘Direct sunlight is beneficial for your health & eyes’ – Without having proper protection, even a minute of direct sunlight can damage your eyes and health. This can lead to retinal damage or total blindness. Regular or handmade eye protections can’t help to protect eyes, only ISO 12312-2 standard filters glasses are safe to see at direct sunlight. (2)

3. ‘Computer usage is harmful for your eyes’ – Computer usage itself doesn’t damage your eyes, but the time spent using digital devices can be harmful to your eyes. For this reason, optometrists or eye specialists suggest taking breaks during computer work. The 20-20-20 rule is very beneficial for the eyes. To prevent dry eye, one can use refresh tears eye drops as prescribed by an eye specialist and UV-protected eyeglasses to prevent digital eye strain. (3)

4. ‘Visual impairment can’t be treated’ –

Figure 1: shows the causes, treatable and in-treatable rates of blindness
[Picture courtesy: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.iapb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Vision-Atlas_Evidence-Series_Causes-of-Vision-Loss_24022021.pdf ] 

It has been observed through various studies that nearly 80% of visual impairments can be resolved if diagnosed and treated early. According to the University of Aberdeen, their findings have proven that there is no upper age limit for vision loss treatment; even a 90-year-old patient can be treated successfully. Conditions such as glaucoma or any other serious eye conditions have already been successfully treated. Therefore, if you are experiencing any vision problems, such as blurry vision, floaters, or flashes, you should consult an optometrist or ophthalmologist at the earliest opportunity.(4)

5. ‘Eye follow-up is not important’ – Many people have misconceptions that they don’t need to check their eyes regularly, but regular eye exams are necessary to check your vision changes, diabetic changes on your eyes, glaucoma and pressure of eyes, cataract, high blood pressure etc. to maintain your eye health adequately. Early detection can prevent many serious eye diseases and blindness.

6. ‘Colour-blind people only see black & white’ –

 Figure 2: Shows how different types of colour-blind people see the colour of images
[Picture courtesy: https://www.quora.com/Can-a-blind-person-scientifically-figure-out-whether-he-s-black-or-white-coloured]

Colour blind people mostly are not able to see red or green colour properly. Rarest people can only see grey shades which is known as Achromatopsia.(5)

7. ‘Strong eyeglasses are harmful for your eyes’ – High power glasses as per the need of a patient for example myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, presbyopia, helps them to see clearly. These glasses do not harm eyes in anyways, rather it helps to solve eye problems.(6)

8. ‘Eyes can be damaged by watching TV up close’ – We often fail to understand the causes and effects in case of seeing TV and digital screens. Eye strain and headache can occur by sitting too close to the TV.

9. ‘Ocular transplantation is possible’ – Human eyes are very complicated organs, and the eye is connected to the brain by the optic nerve. Therefore, it is not possible to transplant the whole eye once the optic nerve fibres are cut. Though corneal transplant is possible by ophthalmologists.

10. ‘Eye exercises improve your vision’ – Eye exercises can’t prevent you from wearing glasses or contact lenses. However, to maintain eye strain and convergence insufficiency, eye exercises can be helpful.(7)

11. ‘Poor light can damage your eyes’ – Reading in poor light cannot damage your eyes. However, perfect light conditions can help you prevent eye strain or tiredness of eyes.

 

References

  1. Bhavani, K. (2021). Retelling Indian Mythology Through the Novels of Devdutt Pattnaik. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT), 12(11), 3872-3876.
  2. Van Meter, W. S., Musch, D. C., Jacobs, D. S., Kaufman, S. C., Reinhart, W. J., & Udell, I. J. (2008). Safety of overnight orthokeratology for myopia: a report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology, 115(12), 2301-2313.
  3. Eisenberger, R., & Cameron, J. (1996). Detrimental effects of reward: Reality or myth?. American psychologist, 51(11), 1153.
  4. Goatman, K. (1997). Automated detection of microaneurysms. Abstracts Reports. Biomed Phys Bioeng, University of Aberdeen. Retrieved from, 8.
  5. Tillem, M., & Gün, A. (2023, September). Color Blindness in the Digital Gaming Landscape: Addressing Critical Issues and Research Gaps. In European Conference on Games Based Learning (Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 817-825).
  6. Kruszelnicki, K. (2006). Great mythconceptions: the science behind the myths. Andrews McMeel Publishing
  7. Dalvi, A. P. T. (2023, October 13). Eye Exercises to Improve Vision: Myths and Facts. URL – https://optometry.dpu.edu.in/blogs/eye-exercises-to-improve-vision-myths-and-facts [Last access – 31May2024; 19:30AEST